There was much praise for the young group of sires who had their first two year-old runners last season with many pundits labelling them as some sort of ‘vintage crop’, so as we move through spring how are they performing?
Waikato Stud’s Tivaci (High Chaparral) has shot to the top of the second crop sires by earnings after siring his first Group I winner last Saturday with the very promising filly Never Been Kissed taking her record to three wins from four starts.
She scored a tenacious win over Hinged, the Queensland wonder filly by another second crop sire in Worthy Cause (Choisir), who has done a sensational job for Clear Mountain Fairview at a fee of $5,500 and was the leading Queensland based first crop sire last season.
Newgate Farm’s Flying Artie (Artie Schiller (USA) has surged ahead of his barn mates Capitalist and Extreme Choice with a new stakes-winner in Giannis and his Blue Diamond winner Artorius will chase Group I glory this Saturday in the Caulfield Guineas after finishing fourth in the Golden Rose.
Arrowfield Stud’s Maurice (Jpn) (Screen Hero) has 10 winners on the board and shares top honours with Vinery Stud’s Star Turn (Star Witness) and while neither have a stakes-winner yet, there are enough promising types among their winners to suggest stakes-winners will emerge in due course.
One stallion that does not quite make it into the Top 10 by either winners or earning is Coolmore's American Pharoah (USA) (Pioneerof the Nile), but he will have one of the favoured runners in the Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes this Saturday in Group III ATC Gloaming Stakes winner Head of State, so his fortunes may be about to change swiftly.
